One for the rogue

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ABC viewers are bound to fall for this lovable swindler, writes Richard Jinman.

Con men aren't sexy. Real con men, that is - the kind that swindle old women out of their savings and only appear on TV when they're being chased down the street by current affairs reporters.

Fictional con men are a different breed. From the suave grifters played by Robert Redford and Paul Newman in 1973's The Sting to the phobic career criminal portrayed by Nicolas Cage in last year's Matchstick Men, they're usually painted as lovable rogues.

Mickey Stone is a Londoner but he's part of this tradition. More con artist than con man, he's urbane, intelligent and cuts a fine figure in a Paul Smith suit. Stone orchestrates the kind of swindles that involve elaborate costumes, stage props and split-second timing. He's respected by fellow criminals and even the police assigned to catch him regard him as uniquely gifted.

Mickey also has principles. He targets only greedy people who can afford to part with a few thousand quid, the kind who won't go to the police when they realise they've been stitched up.

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Played by English actor Adrian Lester in the new ABC drama series Hustle, Stone is so appealing he makes Robin Hood look like a ruthless back-street mugger.

Lester, 36, acknowledges the show's writers have done everything they can to make his character attractive. Stone became a con man only because he watched his father play by the rules all his life and die in poverty. He worries about his former wife and, when he discovers one of the gang's victims is facing financial ruin, he gives him his cash back.

The sunny mood is enhanced by Hustle's cool soundtrack (a blend of acid jazz and electronic chill-out music) and a deliberately glossy vision of London. Often portrayed as gritty or bleak, the British capital appears as a shimmering parade of cool bars, minimalist apartments and sunlit streets.

"It's a slick, zippy series," agrees Lester, who lives in the city with his wife and three-year-old daughter. "The rules of TV state that if the audience doesn't like the characters you won't get a second series."

British viewers like Stone. The first series of Hustle attracted almost eight million viewers a week when it aired on BBC1, and Lester is shooting a second series.

Lester is best known for his film and stage work. He was performing the lead role in a National Theatre production of Shakespeare's Henry V when he began work on Hustle and his film roles include a preppy presidential aide in 1998's Primary Colors and a doomed climatologist in The Day After Tomorrow.

The actor had avoided roles in TV drama because he feared they would be repetitive. The fact that Mickey Stone often adopts several personas in a single episode has kept him challenged and motivated.

"Playing the same person over and over again would be the kiss of death," says Lester, who spent a week learning sleight of hand from an illusionist before shooting Hustle. "As Mickey, I get to stretch so many different muscles."

Stone's cohorts are just as likeable as their leader. His old flame, Stacie Monroe (Jaime Murray), provides glamour and a helping of will-they-won't-they sexual tension. Danny Blue (Marc Warren) is a raffish young Cockney chancer and Ash Morgan (Robert Glenister) is the experienced hand.

The team is completed by Albert Stroller, a veteran grifter who knows every trick in the book. He's played by the 72-year old American-born actor Robert Vaughan, best known for his role in the '60s TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E and films such as The Magnificent Seven and Bullitt. Stroller is an inveterate gambler but he also serves as the gang's father figure and conscience.

Lester is a fan of the man and his work. "He [Vaughan] has no airs or graces. He's just very professional," he says. "We were filming in Britain in autumn and there was a day when we were in a field and up to our ankles in mud. It was cold and raining but he didn't say a word. He's the oldest member of the crew but he's just one of the guys."